Lasik surgery alternatives

There are many people who unfortunately are not eligible for LASIK surgery, but there are alternative treatments that can help them. One technique is not necessarily better than the other, but certain types can be more effective for some unique problems. All the treatments have the same goal, to change the shape of the cornea and correct vision problems. All the procedures for vision correction are going to involve manipulating underneath the outer layer of tissue on the cornea, and the epithelium on the surface of the eye.

LASEK

LASEK, which stands for laser assisted subepithelial keratomileusis, is one of the most recent treatments designed for vision correction. It is utilized on patients who have thinner corneas because the surgery does not remove as much tissue as LASIK. LASEK is almost identical to LASIK except that a thinner corneal flap is required to do the procedure.

By using less cornea tissue to create the flap, a surgeon utilizing the LASEK procedure can leave the tissue under the flap thicker. This is done by using chemicals to decrease the bond between tissue layers and creating the flap. Then the laser is used just as it would in a LASIK surgery. LASEK is generally done in just one eye at a time, making the time it takes to recover, longer.

PRK

Photo refractive keratectomy or PRK, is another alternative treatment that pre-dates LASIK surgery. While LASIK surgery involves less pain and a faster recovery period, PRK is still a very effective solution to vision correction. PRK is a valid option when the corneal flap cannot be produced mechanically or chemically for whatever reason. In PRK surgery, a surgeon will manually remove the epithelial tissue. PRK is also done one eye at a time making its recovery longer than LASIK. It has the longest recovery of all the refractive procedure options.

Intraocular Implants

Some patients may opt for having intraocular implants. The procedure is basically like cataract removal involving the placement of clear intraocular implants. The lens is removed and replaced by an external implant. This procedure is especially effective for farsightedness.

Conductive Keratoplasty Then there is conductive keratoplasty, CK, which is when energy from radio frequencies is applied to the cornea's periphery in a circular motion. The heat generated will shrink the tissue of the cornea, which will cause it to be steeper and correct farsightedness.